Eala suggests longer Commissioner's Cup, postponing Governors Cup
Offers three SMC players to Gilas
With the national team cause on the line and a tight schedule looming for Gilas Pilipinas, San Miguel Corporation is offering a radical suggestion.
No less than sports director Noli Eala bared Monday afternoon the SMC’s stand on shelving the Philippine Basketball Association’s third conference in order to give the Nationals ample time to prepare for the FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championships this August.
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Via his official Twitter account @NoliEala, the former pro league commissioner stated:
“Fate of 3rd conf still up in the air. SMC position is to postpone it til after Fiba Asia in order to give Gilas ample time to prepare.”
The mid-season tourney, known as the Commissioners Cup, is set to start this Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum and ends on April 28 at the latest. For Eala, who introduced a two-conference format under his watch as PBA Commissioner from 2003 to 2007, the Commissioner’s Cup should copy the Philippine Cup set-up.
“However, we wld like to amend 2nd conf format to mirror 1st conf. So, longer elims, qrts n semis to max exposure. Stl enough time for Gilas.
“If the PBA will act quickly, 2nd conf sched can still be changed. No need to rush the sched. And Fans are given what they want."
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Based on previous actions, the pro league needs at least three-fourths of vote from its Board of Governors to ratify the bold action. The Board had already opened discussions on postponing the Governors Cup during their recent summit in Singapore, but nothing concrete was decided.
The Governors Cup was originally set to staged on May 12 to July 28, just four days prior to the opening of the FIBA-Asia spectacle which serves as the qualifiers for the 2014 World Basketball Championships in Spain.
Eala also added that San Miguel is also making towering Petron Blaze rookie June Mar Fajardo, Barangay Ginebra playmaker LA Tenorio and do-it-all San Mig Coffee forward Marc Pingris available for the national team.
“Junmar, LA and Ping are also available to Gilas if they want them. Wish Gilas all the best.”
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